NeoMarine Reef Salt

Hilltopreef90 · Dec 7, 2021

I was thinking of trying Brightwells NeoMarine reef salt, but I’m wondering if it’s worth it compared to tropic marin, the price is lower but your only getting a bucket that mixes 150 gallons, whereas TM you’re supposed to get 200 gallons ‍

I switched to TM and I really like how it mixes, but I’ve not really noticed any differences in my corals and am considering trying a salt that’s cheaper but still mixes well.

homer1475 · Dec 7, 2021

In my 20+ years of reefing I've come to the conclusion that salt is salt. Use what your wallet can handle.

Only difference in salt brands is what parameters they mix up to.

While TMP has been around for a while, it has become the new "darling" salt of the hobby, and it's popularity will diminish with time. While salts like IO have been around for decades, and many of the ROTM tanks have been run on.

At the end of the day, use what your wallet, and knowledge can handle.

LeftyReefer · Dec 7, 2021

While I do believe that salt is salt when it comes to our tanks. Mix up any salt to the proper parameters and any tank can be happy. But I do believe there is a big difference in salts in how they mix up and the impurities in them.

I really like the Live Aquaria brand salt. Mixes fast and clean just like the high dollar salts, but is only $55/bucket and can be found for even less when on sale at places like Petco and such. Its been very consistent for me since I started using it. My mixing barrel never has any brown crud from it, and I've had no issues keeping batches of SW circulating in my mixing tank for months on end too. I love the LA salt.

Whatever makes the brown crud in salts like IO doesn't seem to be in the LA salt. At least not yet.

The last time I cleaned out my mixing container was because I tried using a little IO salt. A while back I bought a bag of IO salt when it was super cheap on Amazon.... it had just been sitting around for a year or so before I decided I would just start mixing in a little with my regular LA salt to use it up. I mixed up a fresh batch of SW using 90% LA salt and maybe 10% IO salt. Figured my tank wouldn't notice much difference doing this, which was correct. My tank never noticed anything, but my mixing barrel quickly became a brown cruddy mess. You could see brown film on the top of the SW as soon as you added in any IO salt to the LA salt. The brown crud would just accumulate and it annoyed me. used up that batch of SW and cleaned out my mixing container and went back to 100% LA salt. No more brown crud. Mixing container stays nice and clean now. Whatever causes the brown film/crud in salts like IO does not appear to be in all salts. If I can find salt cheap that doesn't have the brown crud, I'm all for it. LA salt fits that bill for me nicely.

Unfortunately, with all material and supply shortages, who knows how long any salt manufacturer can keep making salt without the brown crud in it.

KStatefan · Dec 7, 2021

Hilltopreef90 said:
I was thinking of trying Brightwells NeoMarine reef salt, but I’m wondering if it’s worth it compared to tropic marin, the price is lower but your only getting a bucket that mixes 150 gallons, whereas TM you’re supposed to get 200 gallons ‍
I switched to TM and I really like how it mixes, but I’ve not really noticed any differences in my corals and am considering trying a salt that’s cheaper but still mixes well.

Is your 150 vs 200 gallons at the same salt concentration?